Thank You twerp13 for the vote.When I was old enough to pull a trigger my father had me shooting at targets.We were taught how to safely treat,handle&use firearms correctly from little on.This was long before Hunter Safety ED.So I believe a ten year old with supervision will be as safe any other hunters.Remember kids now days are much more advanced than we were at that age.

hntredtchr51: Thanks for being a hunters ed teacher. I agree with you in order to pass a class you have to not only know the rules, but it is pounded into you over and over again until you learn to live them.I appreciate all of the time you hunter safety teachers take to make sure all the hunters (both young and old) are ready to go out and hunt in a safe manner.
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I still have the firearm safety rules run through my head each and every time I take the gun out of the gun safe.

These new hunters are required to pass Hunters Education Coarse which is State certified,which means they will be safe&responsible hunters no matter what age. I teach this course&I wouldn't be afraid to hunt with any of my students no matter what age

SarahB1: to answer your question, yes sometimes there is a "kick". it all depends upon the gun... a .22 will have much less than say a 12ga. Obviously you would not start a first timer out on a 12ga or 20ga...but rather start with a .22 or maybe a 410.( they have very little kick)
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Also a youth should use a gun that is sized for them. There are many models and sizes out there stating with a cricket (very small in length and lighter weight) and moving up to a mid-size youth gun to adult size. Even my .22 (adult size) doesn't have much of a kick to it.
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I would encourage anyone (especially women) to take a class and learn how to handle (load/unload)and fire a gun properly.. no not just for protection, but everyone should know in case of finding one and making it safe so accidental firing doesn't happen. Most gun accidents happen due to operator error or their lack of knowledge on how a firearm works, you can help end that statistic by educating yourself on firearm safety.

I thinks most ten year old's can handle guns as long as you get the right gun to fit them if they can't handle the smallest one then the choice is up to the adult. My concern is how many 10 year olds understand the power a gun holds. They don't know what it means to take a life even if it is an animal it is still taking a life and they should understand that first. They should understand the fact that they are killing that animal to put food on the table and help control their population so that they don't harm themselves. Not just to make mom or dad proud. The dnr just wants more money because it would get them additional sales of licenses.

Wow! Thanks to the "dreaded" NRA hunter safety is at an all time high! See what many people do not realize is that it is their programs and sponsorships that has directly affected the success of hunters safety. Thanks NRA!As a former hunters safety instructor this proposition is A B S O L U T E L Y dangerous! One has to assume the mentor isn't a moron.

eastcoast: We were there too and that boy you were talking about had never held a gun before and was scared to shoot it. He wasn't even really happy about being there, not to mention he was recovering from a wrist injury.SO please don't judge all 10 year olds on this one observation. I had a 8 year old in our group who did just wonderfully, she was excited and listened very well to all of the safety instructions. She had a great time even tried the 12 ga and did quite well. It all depends upon the child, not the age !
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I am glad they put that NRA sportsfest on, it goes to show you how much interest there is out there for hunting/target practicing. Again with proper guidance and supervision hunting is a safe and fun sport.

It is interesting to note that 30 states have NO AGE REQUIREMENTS for youth hunters, and that others have adopted similar legislation to what Wisconsin wants. Seems to me that if there were a problem (with younger kids hunting), then those state proposals would have been in the opposite direction going towards a older hunting age not a younger one.
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Getting younger youth involved with the sport of hunting is a great thing. As I understand this new bill would require that the mentor be within arms reach of the youth hunter, with that kind of supervision, a youth would learn how to be responsible when hunting and handling a gun. As always in anything (riding a bike, skateboarding, baseball, hockey, hunting or whatever...)accidents do happen, but with proper training they can be lessened and avoided.
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My sons and I just participated in a NRA Sports Fest 2 weekends before last at the Beloit Rifle Club and there was a young boy in the 10yr old range who could not hold up a lightweight 22 cal rifle. And they want to allow 10yr olds to hunt? Stick with the program. Hunter Safety...12yrs old...allowed to hunt unsupervised when turning 14.

This is crazy, could you live with your self if somting were to happen, God forbid! all becouse you could not wait 2 more years to teach your child to hunt? I have a 4 year old and I will cherish the day we can hunt together.
We forget sometimes who is the adult.

One more thought on the subject...I think all kids should HAVE to take hunters saftey, even if they never go hunting a day in their life. Our niece had to take it before she was allowed to graduate from highschool (I think it was when they lived in Wyoming). IMO it would prevent a lot of firearm accidents not only in the woods, but also the home (or wherever a gun may be found)

I am all for a hunting mentor program. The younger you teach kids about the responsibility that comes with handling a firearm, the more they will respect it. It seems to me that if you take the mystery out of what it feels like to handle and shoot a firearm, the more likely a child would be to leave them alone and not try to play with or try to experiment with shooting it(a firearm) in a unsupervised situation. After all just telling a child don't play with a gun isn't really the answer. I know when I was a kid it only would of made me want to do it all the more because the presumption would be that it is really cool at least IMO. But if you give them the chance to shoot under supervision and with training that mystery is gone and they learn that it is a serious responsibility and that it is not a game.
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I think a mentor program, along with hunter safety education would be great for a 10 year old. We would have taken advantage of it for our family. It also encourages youth to be outdoors and active in other things besides the tv, video games or on the computer.

I do think that a 10 year old should be allowed along on the hunt (without carrying a gun). However, most 10 year old children I know are simply too immature to safetly handle a gun. It only takes a brief, unguarded moment of exhuberance for that gun to accidentily be discharged.
I remember taking the Hunter Education classes at the local public elementary school. Times were different then and the school allowed guns to be brought into the classes (gasp! the horror!). However, more kids were brought up in a rural setting and were exposed to guns at an earlier age and had more respect for them. Us kids knew darn well that the loaded .22 next to the back door was NOT a toy and we would catch hell for even touching it. Kids nowdays dont respect guns. After all, if you are killed in a street shootout trying to steal a car you can simple re-set your game and start over.

Look out! It's coming right for us!

SB167
Current law requires, with certain exceptions, that every person who obtains
a hunting approval must have a certificate of accomplishment issued by the
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) indicating that he or she has successfully
completed the hunter education program or bow hunter education program
established by DNR. Current law also generally prohibits hunting and firearm
possession by any person under the age of 12. For persons who are at least 12 years
old, but under the age of 16, current law allows hunting and firearm possession but
imposes certain restrictions that vary depending on the person's age.
This bill creates a new exception to the general requirement that a person
obtain a certificate of accomplishment in order to obtain a hunting approval. The bill
also lowers the minimum hunting age from 12 years of age to ten years of age for
persons who hunt under the hunting mentorship program established in this bill.
The bill authorizes a person who is at least ten years of age to hunt without obtaining
a certificate of accomplishment and to possess or control a firearm while hunting if
the person has a valid hunting approval and is hunting with a qualified mentor.

They tried to pass a similar bill a couple years ago. I urge all you to write your sentor, or assembly person to kill this bill.
Safety stressed
The hunting accident rate in Wisconsin peaked in 1966, when the DNR recorded 44 accidents per 100,000 hunters. That rate has steadily declined into the single digits.

"It's remarkably safe in the woods, considering what people are doing," said Keith Warnke, big game specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. "The number of accidents and fatalities has dropped precipitously while the number of hunters has gone up. The hunters are much more safety conscious than they ever have been."

Officials attribute overall safer hunting trends to the advent of hunter education courses in 1967, the requirement instituted in 1980 that hunters wear blaze orange and the start of mandatory hunter education in 1985 for anyone 12 or younger.

But the percentage of accidents involving young hunters has increased by 28% since 1999. Young hunters also accounted for a disproportionate number of accidents.

Almost one-third of the recorded Wisconsin hunting accidents list the hunter as 21 or younger. This age group accounted for only 16% of the state's licensed hunters over that period, the analysis finds. The percentage of young hunters has remained constant during the past five years.

Having lost a brother due to hunting accident. Heaven forbid that an accident happen I don't know how a ten year old could handle the fact that they have shot and killed some one, they would have to live with it the rest of their lives. Is that something that you want your child to live with.

10 is too young regardless 6th graders with rifles? they do not recognize the consequences of mistreating a firearm, no matter how good the mentor or "mature" the 10 year old is, he is still a 10 year old. in most states you cant even get a paper route until your 12, let alone handle a gun.

Adult supervision is no bar to catastrophe.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27399337/

SB-167 - This bill makes various changes to the laws relating to restrictions on hunting
and firearm possession and establishes a hunting mentorship program.

http://www.legis.state.wi.us/2009/data/S...